Specific forms of exercise can help reduce the level of chronic low back pain (LBP), fibromyalgia pain, neck, shoulder and elbow pain. There is also growing evidence that osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, neuropathic pain (when the nerves are damaged and result in pain) and ankylosing spondylitis (a genetically associated disease that causes back pain) respond to exercise;[1] however, before you try to use exercise to relieve your pain, you should talk to your doctor because some conditions may be made worse by exercise.

Steps

Method1

Seeking Medical Advice

1

Call your doctor before you do anything. If you are in pain, the first step is to contact your physician. If your physician does not treat your pain effectively or does not refer you to a physical or exercise therapist, consider getting a second opinion or seeing a pain specialist. A pain specialist is a physician who specializes in treating pain.

Once you have a diagnosis from a doctor, you can use this information to

2

Be aware that exercise may make pain worse. Some injuries and conditions may be made worse by exercising, so it is best to determine the cause of your pain before you try to exercise it away. The biggest danger is in overexerting yourself. For example:

Over-stretching can result in torn muscles, microtears, and micro-bleeds.

Intense aerobic and endurance exercises may cause a heart attack or stroke.

3

Consider seeing a chiropractor. For lower back pain and neck pain, a chiropractor may be the ideal healthcare professional to provide a referral and education concerning the best forms of exercise for you. For acute pain, the first step may be using a form of passive therapy to alleviate the pain. These therapies may include:[2]

Electrical muscle stimulation using a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit. TENS consists of pads that you place on your skin. The pads transmit a very small electric charge through the skin and the muscle underlying the skin. It is believed that the electrical stimulation releases natural painkillers and blocks the transmission of pain.[3]

Heat and cold therapy. This therapy involves applying heat packs, cold packs or alternating hot and cold packs to the area producing the pain. For lower back and neck pain, the specific cause of the pain and type of pain can be important in determining which therapy or combination to use. A chiropractor or a physical or exercise therapist should be consulted to determine which is best for your form of pain.[4]

Massage therapy can help loosen up tight muscles. If your muscles are very tight, then that can often make pain worse.

Chiropractic manipulation. If you vertebrae are misaligned, back and muscle pain often results. A chiropractic manipulation can realign the vertebrae and reduce pain.[5]

4

Follow your practitioner’s instructions for exercise. Once the acute pain has decreased, consider an exercise program that includes stretching, strengthening exercises, and low-impact aerobic exercise. You may also consider doing water exercises.

Only do the exercises recommended by your doctor, chiropractor, or physical/exercise therapist. They will have an understanding of your condition, your body, and your limitations.[6]

Try to find the balance between “pushing yourself” and hurting yourself. You need to push yourself a bit, but also know when enough is enough. Learn to pace yourself so that you don’t harm or re-injure yourself.[7]

Method2

Using Exercise as Directed

1

Try range of motion and flexibility exercises. Range of motion and flexibility exercises will help you regain or improve how well and how flexibly you can move your joints through the entire range that the joints should be able to get through.[8]

These exercises will include stretches and other movements (sometimes active and sometimes passive) that take the joint through the full range of motion. The active movements are the ones that you perform yourself while the passive movements are the ones that the therapist moves your joints through.

2

Incorporate some aerobic and endurance exercises. These exercises help to improve your heart and lungs and increase stamina. The current recommendations are 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise per week.[9] Common types of aerobic exercise include:

Walking

Biking

Swimming

Jogging

Dancing

Rowing

3

Add strengthening exercises. Strengthening exercises can help support and protect your joints. Ask your doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist about the types of exercise that you can and cannot do in your condition. Certain strength training exercises may put you at a higher risk of injury or aggravate your condition.[10]

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Tips

Always check with your doctor before beginning an exercise routine, if you suffer from chronic pain. The doctor may recommend low-impact exercises or a regime that will be especially beneficial to your condition.

Slowly implement your exercise regime. People who suffer from joint and disease-related pain are rarely able to maintain the same kind of exercise regime as people who are healthy. You can increase your exercise in small increments as you find it benefits you.

Warnings

Beware that not all strength training is good for chronic pain sufferers. Ask your doctor if there are exercises that you should avoid.

Avoid full sit ups, leg lifts, bending exercises and large weights if you suffer from joint or back pain. These can worsen your condition.